Hunslet care home to be sold, for a second time

Residents and their families have been concerned by the rapid change of ownership of the Copper Hill Care Home in Hunslet.

The 180 bed care home was previously owned by BUPA, but was sold as part of a portfolio of 110 care homes to HC-One, now the biggest care home provider in the UK, at the end of 2017.

A Residents and Relatives meeting was held on 7 June where representatives of HC-One explained why they had put the home on the market just six months after buying it.

A spokesperson for the home said:

“After the complex acquisition of the former Bupa homes; we have taken the decision to sell Copper Hill Care Home to an alternative care home operator.

“Following a comprehensive review of all of the care homes we acquired, we identified a small number where we felt that their long-term future would be better supported by a smaller operator. In the meantime, these homes will continue to receive investment and support to enable them to deliver the kindest possible care to Residents in the same way that any of our homes would, including upcoming investment into Wi-Fi, ‘Touch’ learning and development programmes.

“Until we are satisfied that we have agreed the most appropriate model for each of these homes, they will fully remain part of our care home family and benefit from the very best care provision, and learning and development initiatives that we pride ourselves on.”

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said:

“We have been assured by HC-One that they will continue to provide continuity of care to residents and that staff will be provided with extra support during the time of transition. We will continue liaise closely with HC-One until plans are agreed on the future of Copper Hill”

2 Replies to “Hunslet care home to be sold, for a second time”

Copper Hill sold again. Does Leeds City Council really believe HC-One will provide better care than BUPA. BUPA have sold it because it is non-profit making. We have a Labour council that acts like a Tory one. Shameful.

I have no connection with Leeds City Council, I’m not employed by them, I’m not a member of the Labour Party and I have nothing to do with BUPA or HC-One. The nearest I’ve come to Copper Hill is looking at it as a potential home for my Dad in 2012. However I think it’s important that Kevin Michael Clarke’s misunderstanding is corrected. I hope also that it will help people understand what has happened to the care of our older relatives over the last 40 years.

Copper Hill is not owned or regulated by Leeds City Council. Copper Hill is privately owned and Leeds City Council have no connection or control over it (the regulator is a government body called the Care Quality Commission – CQC). I believe that Copper Hill has always been privately owned, having been built after the first big expansion in private care homes under Thatcher in 1985-87.

Copper Hill, and thousands of other care homes nationally, have been bought and sold by private equity groups, looking to make profit from people ever since. If there is no profit for the shareholders, the home, and its residents, are sold on.

Very few councils can still run any care homes. That is because councils pay decent wages, have decent staffing levels, and make sure that their staff are continuously trained to a high level. There is no profit in this. It used to be funded from Council Tax and a central government fund called Rate Support Grant. Since 2010 the Tories’ stated aim has been to end RSG by 2022 while capping Council Tax. This has left even Tory councils like Northamptonshire staring bankruptcy in the face. Meanwhile, we are all getting older….

I am a registered social worker, employed by another local authority, and a steering committee member of the Social Work Action Network (SWAN). At our national conference in April 2018 we voted unanimously to campaign for the nationalisation of care homes. We’re in the process of preparing that campaign. We want to end the sale of care homes to the highest bidder, and with it the sale of our relatives’ care to the lowest bidder.